Although I don’t have any particular interests in this thread, I would still to toss my two yen in (just to stir things up)
Zitat
quote
riginally posted by JD Charles
Let me refer you all to the book of Five Rings by Musashi himself.
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Yes. As I am typing this, I am holding “Gorin no Sho” written by Miyamoto Musashi himself in the original classical Japanese (originally reprinted in 1963 and re-published in Japan in 2001), and reading the section in question (i.e., “Chi no Maki. Ichi. Kore ichi ryu ni-to to nazukeru koto.”).
Zitat
quote
riginally posted by JD Charles
It appears that he preferred two longswords, probably Tachis or Nodachis, considerin that Musashi was considered to be very tall.
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Uhmmm... I am sorry..., but from what I can read in Musashi’s original writing in classical Japanese, it does not appear that he preferred two long swords to one regular size katana and one wakizashi...
Zitat
quote: Originally posted by Jeff Ellis
http://www.samurai.com/5rings/
more specifically
http://www.samurai.com/5rings/ground/
under "The Name Ichi Ryu Ni To (One school - Two swords)"
"... However, when it is difficult to cut an enemy down eith one hand, you must use both hands. It is not difficult to wield a sword in one hand; the Way to learn this is to train with two long swords, one in each hand. ..."
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With all due respect to the translator, I am afraid that the English translation in this part is not correct... And I can say this with confidence (because I am one of the very few native speakers of Japanese on this forum who can read, write and understand classical Japanese pretty well...). In the original Musashi’s writing (again, in classical Japanese), it reads ...
“... Moshi katate nite uchi koroshi gataki toki wa, ryote nite mo utomu beshi. Tema no irukoto nite mo arubekarazu. Mazu katate nite tachi wo furi narawasen tame ni, ni-to to shite, tachi wo katate nite furi oboeru michi nari. ...” (Miyamoto, 1963/2001 p.52)
This paragraph, if it is translated correctly into English, should read ...
“... If it is difficult to kill [your enemy] with one hand[ed cuts], then [one] should also use two hands. That [i.e., to kill with two handed cuts] should not be such a trouble. In order to be accustomed to wielding a “tachi*” with one hand, it should be the Way to learn to wield a “tachi*” in one hand [and a companion sword in the other] as in the two swords method. ...”
[*Note. The translator’s interpretation of the word “tachi” to mean “a sword” in this section is correct. By “tachi” in this context, Musashi simply meant “a long sword” as he liked to use old fashion usage of the term. (See Miyamoto, 1963/2001 p. 51)]
To ensure the accuracy of my English translation of Musashi’s original writing, it was also cross-checked with the modern Japanese language annotations provided in this book. As expected, they are in very close correspondence to each other...
Reference:
Miyamoto, Musashi. (reprinted 1963/2001). Gorin no Sho. (Annotated by Kamiko, Tadashi in modern Japanese language.) Tokyo, Japan: Tokuma Shoten. ISBN4-19242143-7.
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